Consequently, I have lots of pictures to share, and lots of excellent food to tell you about. But in the meantime, please enjoy these bon mots from my travels.
[In Philly, I had packed two pairs of boots, both of which I had worn while sight-seeing over the course of several days. On the last evening, as we sat watching the Oscars, Ryan noticed my rather ancient slippers, which are cable-knit with ties at the ankles.]
Ryan: You brought three pairs of boots?!
Me: These are slippers.
R: Three pairs!
H: They're slippers!
R: And they have those... bonbons.
H: .... You mean pom poms?
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[In Boston last weekend, I stayed with my old roommate Jay (who I have quoted at length in the past) and his girlfriend, Heather. After many years of resisting, Jay is reading Harry Potter, having burned through six of the seven books in just a few months. As is common among those who are late converts to this kind of cultural obsession, he has MANY THOUGHTS about the books and wants to talk about them. A lot. This is relevant to the conversation that
follows, which will probably make zero sense if you are unfamiliar with the finer points of Harry Potter.]
Me: What's your wifi password?
Heather, from the other room: Hold on, I want to hear you explain this to her.
Me: Which network is it? [scans list of networks] "Sirius"?
Jay: [guilty look]
Me: Of course it is.
J: Okay, so if you needed the password, what would you
SAY?
Me: ... Alohomora? What's the spell for "open"?
J: Say you need the password to COME to you?
Me: Oh, good lord. "Accio...Internet?"
J: [triumphantly] Capital A, capital I!
